One of the striking features of early Calvinists was their dedication to making confessional statements. Those Calvinists and subsequent Reformed believers held that confessions have only a provisional character, since they reflect the limited insights of mere men. Their authority is derived and must always be subordinated to Scripture, which possesses intrinsic authority. Nevertheless, they recognized that confessions make a valuable contribution to the church’s primary tasks: worshiping (the doxological task), witnessing (the declarative task), teaching (the didactic task), and defending the faith (the disciplining task). Reformed confessions have been particularly effective in helping the church unitedly declare what it believes, what it is to be, and how it is to be an evangelical testimony to those outside of its fellowship.

Joel E. Beeke, Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism, Loc. 376.